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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention Evaluation Project Report Indigenous suicide is a significant population health challenge for Australia. Suicide has emerged in the past half century as a major cause of Indigenous premature mortality and is a contributor to the overall Indigenous health and life expectancy gap. In 2014 it was the fifth leading cause of death among Indigenous people, and the age-standardised suicide rate was around twice as high as the non-Indigenous...

For the first time ever, a sitting U.S. surgeon general has declared substance abuse a public-health crisis. “It’s time to change how we view addiction,” Vivek Murthy said in a statement last week, which was accompanied by a lengthy report on the issue. “Not as a moral failing, but as a chronic illness that must be treated with skill, urgency and compassion. The way we address this crisis is a test for America.” Murthy’s statement is a major victory for those advocates who have long hoped...

A new report from Children Now details wide disparities in children’s well-being across California’s 58 counties. The 2016–2017 California County Scorecard of Children’s Well-Being looks at a series of indicators organized around the three domains of child welfare and economic well-being; health; and education. The report provides a comparison over time for each of 28 indicators, as well as a breakdown by ethnicity on each data point for every county in the state. Children Now, an advocacy...

It took less than a minute of playing League of Legends for a homophobic slur to pop up on my screen. Actually, I hadn't even started playing. It was my first attempt to join what many agree to be the world's leading online game, and I was slow to pick a character. The messages started to pour in. “Pick one, kidd,” one nudged. Then, “Choose FA GO TT.” It was an unusual spelling, and the spaces may have been added to ease the word past the game's default vulgarity filter, but the message was...

When 67-year-old Wayne Sperling appeared in a Denver courtroom for sentencing on December 30, 2014 , his long, snow white beard and button nose made him look like a real-life incarnation of Kris Kringle. But he more accurately resembled a sinister character from Oliver Twist. Sperling faced 10 felony charges related to child abuse but pleaded guilty to just one, a Class 5 felony that carried a sentence of up to eight years in prison. He’d already lost custody of his children. Now the judge...

On Nov. 9, educators at Bruce Vento Elementary in St. Paul fielded an onslaught of tough questions from students. Some wanted to know if they would be sent away, or if their parents would be sent away. Others were trying to make sense of the wall, wondering if Donald Trump intended to build a wall between black and white people. And at least one student raised the concern that black people would be forced into slavery. This list of post-election inquiries from students in a public preK-5...

To illustrate the impact of what’s known as Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACE, and the power of overcoming their impact, Peter Buckley tells the story of a young boy at Orchard Hill Elementary in Medford. The child could not sit still for more than a few minutes at a time, nor could he remain silent for long stretches like most of his peers. Consequently, the classroom interruptions were constant. Then, the teacher tried something called the “good behavior game,” which teaches students...

Elise just told me about her past. I knew she had been through a lot, but not all that. She said her mom hit her and left bruises when she was a kid, her neighbor touched her where she didn’t want to be touched, and I guess her brother was alcoholic. There was a lot of other stuff, too. It has gotten better in the last couple years so that is good. I have known their whole family for a long time and never knew any of that. What do I do now? I want to help somehow, but is there anything to...

To create healthy communities, we need to begin addressing the prevalence of trauma in our student’s lives. This webinar will discuss how community schools are helping to address trauma, as part of an effort to improve the health of communities. Speakers Include Tracey Schear, Director, Center for Healthy Schools and Communities, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency; Lara Kain, Senior Director, Transform Schools, Los Angeles Education Partnership; and Andrea Blanch, Acting Director,...

ACEs, Adversity's Impact Depression on the rise among U.S. teens, especially girls Childhood adversity linked to blood pressure dysfunction Brain and Biology Stressed-out rats consume more alcohol, revealing related brain chemistry Child welfare systems grapple with how to translate brain science into practice Three brain chemicals affect how we handle uncertainty Bullying Bullied kids may have double the risk of being overweight at 18 Childhood bullying victims more likely to use mental...

U.S. kids are eating healthier these days, but their daily diet is still nowhere near perfect, a new study reports. Kids today are eating more food that's good for them: whole grains, whole fruits, dairy, and protein from seafood and plants. And, just as important, they are more likely to avoid sugar-laden foods and drinks full of empty calories, according to a review of children's diet trends between 1999 and 2012. The reduction in empty calories was so steep that it "contributed to...

In our previous blog, we wrote about Monica’s experience in recovering from past childhood wounds that left her scarred and wounded. Monica knew that if she were to ever be healed from those painful experiences, she would need to forgive all of the people who played a part in those events, including herself. Monica did not feel that she had much courage prior to doing the inner and outer work that her recovery required, but by the time she had completed the forgiveness stage of the work, her...